Buy the Ebook:

About You Had to Be There

They gained their maturity in an age of monumental and unprecedented change – from horse-and-buggy, Model TFord, and crank telephone, to moonwalks, space shuttles, and the Internet. They are better educated, more affluent, more vigorous, and longer-lived than any generation before them, yet obstinately cling to a forthright simplicity no generation is likely to regain. They are proudly “old fashioned” in their outlook, hardworking, and frugal in their ways. They are the last enthusiastic patriots, the last to accept authority with respect. They are the last generation to have reached adulthood without television, credit cards, computers, or the Pill. Their younger critics may call them “old fogies”; Robert Collins calls them Generation M, for mature.

In You Had to Be There, Robert Collins gives us the entire history of this extraordinary and hugely influential generation. Through this fascinating story he weaves the voices of Canadians from across the country, who speak with humour, regret, and passion about the hardships and triumphs of their lives and about the widening gap between themselves and the rest of Canada.

Generation gaps are as old as humankind, but rarely has there been as much misunderstanding and veiled animosity as there is between young and old today. Robert Collins accounts for the prejudices, pokes fun at the rivalries, and, with humour and sympathy, invites younger Canadians to re-examine their parents’ or grandparents’ lives and consider, maybe for the first time, the true proportion of their legacy.

From the Hardcover edition.

About You Had to Be There

They gained their maturity in an age of monumental and unprecedented change – from horse-and-buggy, Model TFord, and crank telephone, to moonwalks, space shuttles, and the Internet. They are better educated, more affluent, more vigorous, and longer-lived than any generation before them, yet obstinately cling to a forthright simplicity no generation is likely to regain. They are proudly “old fashioned” in their outlook, hardworking, and frugal in their ways. They are the last enthusiastic patriots, the last to accept authority with respect. They are the last generation to have reached adulthood without television, credit cards, computers, or the Pill. Their younger critics may call them “old fogies”; Robert Collins calls them Generation M, for mature.

In You Had to Be There, Robert Collins gives us the entire history of this extraordinary and hugely influential generation. Through this fascinating story he weaves the voices of Canadians from across the country, who speak with humour, regret, and passion about the hardships and triumphs of their lives and about the widening gap between themselves and the rest of Canada.

Generation gaps are as old as humankind, but rarely has there been as much misunderstanding and veiled animosity as there is between young and old today. Robert Collins accounts for the prejudices, pokes fun at the rivalries, and, with humour and sympathy, invites younger Canadians to re-examine their parents’ or grandparents’ lives and consider, maybe for the first time, the true proportion of their legacy.

From the Hardcover edition.

Praise

“In a wonderfully evocative portrait of the Depression generation, Robert Collins has captured the sweet innocence and defiant pride of Canadians who grew up in the Dirty Thirties, won the war, and spawned post-war prosperity and the baby boomers. It’s a joyous read.”–Knowlton Nash

“Bears the mark of a veteran journalist.”–Globe and Mail

“Evoking a thousand memories, Robert Collins has woven a rich and vari-coloured tapestry of the poignant and courageous lives of many who were there. For those who were not, these stories will perhaps bring appreciation and understanding of the generation and the time that was.”–Betty Kennedy

“Robert Collins has helped make these people, who gave so much, more permament in Canada’s collective memory. For them and for him I’m grateful.”–Financial Post

“Through moving interviews with people across Canada, [Collins] develops an overview of a generation.”–Kitchener-Waterloo Record

“This is Canadian history in an accessible and entertaining package.”–Saskatoon Star-Phoenix

“Immensely enjoyable.…Heartily recommended.”–Halifax Daily News

From the Hardcover edition.

About Robert Collins

Robert Collins grew up in rural Saskatchewan during the Depression in conditions described in his renowned best-seller Butter Down the Well. He has served as editor of the Imperial Oil Review and has written for Maclean’s, the Star Weekly, Toronto… More about Robert Collins

About Robert Collins

Robert Collins grew up in rural Saskatchewan during the Depression in conditions described in his renowned best-seller Butter Down the Well. He has served as editor of the Imperial Oil Review and has written for Maclean’s, the Star Weekly, Toronto… More about Robert Collins